alamarblue ti read only -...

of 27

alamarBlue® Assay U.S. Patent No. 5,501,959

Indications for Use The alamarBlue® Assay is designed to measure quantitatively the proliferation of various human and animal cell lines, bacteria and fungi. The bioassay may also be used to establish relative cytotoxicity of agents within various chemical classes (3). The toxicologist can establish baseline data for predicting the toxicity of related novel agents by comparing such baseline data with known in-vivo toxicity. The assay is simple to perform since the indicator is water soluble, thus eliminating the washing/fixing and extraction steps required in other commonly used cell proliferation assays. Product Description The alamarBlue® Assay incorporates a fluorometric/colorimetric growth indicator based on detection of metabolic activity. Specifically, the system incorporates an oxidation-reduction (REDOX) indicator that both fluoresces and changes color in response to chemical reduction of growth medium resulting from cell growth (6). The specific (fluorometric/colorimetric) REDOX indicator incorporated into alamarBlue® has been carefully selected because of several properties. First, the REDOX indicator exhibits both fluorescence and colorimetric change in the appropriate oxidation-reduction range relating to cellular metabolic reduction. Second, the REDOX indicator is demonstrated to be minimally toxic to living cells. Third, the REDOX indicator produces a clear, stable distinct change which is easy to interpret. The REDOX indicator has no current or past indication of carcinogenic capacity. As cells being tested grow, innate metabolic activity results in a chemical reduction of alamarBlue®. Continued growth maintains a reduced environment while inhibition of growth maintains an oxidized environment. Reduction related to growth causes the REDOX indicator to change from oxidized (non-fluorescent, blue) form to reduced (fluorescent, red) form. Experiments performed at Alamar suggest that reduction of alamarBlue® requires uptake by the cells. To test this hypothesis, we grew A549 cells to confluency in T25 flasks using RPMI 1640. The media was then removed from two flasks containing cells and replaced with fresh media. Fresh media was also added to a sterile flask containing no cells to serve as a negative control. All flasks were then re-incubated at 37°C, 5% CO2 for four hours. At the end of the four hour incubation, alamarBlue® was added to each flask. There was no immediate color change in any flasks upon addition. In one of the flasks containing cells, the media was left in contact with the cell layer, while the other T flask was turned over so that the media was not in contact with the cell layer. All flasks were then incubated for 1 hour at 37° and rechecked for color change. If alamarBlue® reduction occurred simply from the reduction of the external medium, we would expect the flask in which the media was in contact with the cells and the flask in which media was no longer in contact with the cells to exhibit the same amount of reduction. This was not the case. The flask where the media was not in contact with the monolayer following addition of alamarBlue® displayed no color change from the blue of the negative control flask. The flask

of 27

where the cells were in contact with the monolayer was very pink, indicating a higher percentage of reduction. This seems to indicate uptake by the cells is required for reduction of alamarBlue®. We have analyzed the possible interaction of alamarBlue® in cellular respiration by looking at the relative redox potential of the various components of the biological respiration chain. These are presented in Table 1, which includes the oxidation – reduction potentials for alamarBlue® and MTT and where they interact with the system. Table 1. Oxidation reduction potentials in the electron-transport system.

Half-reaction E1o(mV)pH7.0 25°C O2 + 4H+ + 4e- 2H2O +820 alamarBlue®ox + 2H + 2e- alamarBlue®RED +380 cytochromesox + 1e- cytochromesRED +290 to +80 MTTox + 2H+ + 2e- MTTRED

-110 FMN + 2H+ + 2e- FMNH2 -210 FAD + 2H+ + 2e- FADH2 -220 NAD + 2H+ + 2e- NADH + H+ -320 NADP + 2H+ + 2e- NADPH + H+ -320

A substance on the left side of one of the half reactions can be expected to oxidize a substance on the right side only if the latter has a more negative E0 than the former. Using this rule, it is evident that MTT will be reduced by FMNH2, FADHs, NADH, NADPH, but will not be reduced by cytochromes. It is further evident that alamarBlue® will be reduced not only be each of these, but by the cytochromes as well. The importance of this lies in the fact that the flow of electrons may be interrupted by the introduction of an artificial electron-acceptor (redox indicator) with an oxidation-reduction potential intermediate between those of any two members of the electron transport chain. Thus, whenever a substrate is oxidized in the presence of a tetrazolium salt (MTT), the released electrons will not be transported through the usual sequence of cytochromes, but will be trapped. This shuts down the respiratory chain. alamarBlue®, on the other hand, is intermediate only between final reduction of O2 and cytochrome oxidase (Cyt.a3). alamarBlue® is reduced by the removal of oxygen and its replacement by hydrogen. alamarBlue® may substitute for molecular oxygen for any of the oxidoreductases which routinely utilize molecular oxygen as an electron acceptor. Data may be collected using either fluorescence – based or absorbance – based instrumentation. Fluorescence is monitored at 530-560nm excitation wavelength and 590nm emission wavelength (Fig. 1a). Absorbance is monitored at 570nm and 600nm (Figure 1b).

of 27

0

1000

2000

3000

4000

5000

400 450 500 550 600 650 700

WAVELENGTH (nm)

FLU

OR

ESC

ENC

E

Oxidized (590nm)

Reduced (590nm)

Figure 1a. alamarBlue® Fluorescence Emission Spectra

0

0.1

0.2

0.3

0.4

0.5

0.6

400 450 500 550 600 650 700

WAVELENGTH (nm)

AB

SOR

BA

NC

E

Oxidized (600nm)

Reduced (570nm)

Figure 1b. alamarBlue® Absorbance

of 27

Advantages The alamarBlue® Assay offers many advantages over conventional cell or radioactively-labelled incorporation assays: Features Benefits

Fluorescent/Colorimetric Allows Choice of detection method

Water soluble No extraction required

Works on suspension or attached cell lines

No centrifugation required

Fewer steps Time saving/easily adaptable to automation

Stable Allows for continuous cell Growth monitoring, kinetic Studies, incubation time of days

Non-toxic to cells Less likely to interfere with Normal metabolism

Non-toxic to technician Safe, disposable, less regulation

of 27

Storage Conditions alamarBlue® should be stored in the dark, since the compound is light sensitive (Table 2). The product may be stored for 12 months at room temperature. This expiration date is given on the product label. If shelf life beyond 12 months is desired, storage at 2-8°C increases shelf life to 20 months. alamarBlue® may also be frozen at -70°C indefinitely. Because the indicator is a multicomponent solution, it is recommended that frozen alamarBlue® be warmed to 37°C and shaken to ensure all components are completely in solution. Table 2. alamarBlue® Stability Average absorbance at 600 nm is presented for each month tested. alamarBlue® was packaged in amber bottles. Light exposure was continuous at a level of approximately 100 lumens. Measurements were made on a Perkin Elmer UV/VIS Spectrophotometer Lamda 2 model with a 1 cm path length.

MONTH

Storage Condition 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 10 12

Room Temp Light 0.909 0.925 0.925 0.896 0.901 0.853 0.853 0.820 0.805

Room Temp Dark 0.909 0.944 0.937 0.944 0.949 0.954 0.954 0.966 0.966

0.75

0.8

0.85

0.9

0.95

1

0 5 10 15

MONTHS IN STORAGE

AB

SOR

BA

NC

E

Room Temp LightRoom Temp Dark

of 27

Quality Control Testing Method for alamarBlue® Materials and Equipment:

• pH 7.4, 0.1M potassium phosphate buffer • 10 ml test tube • pipettor capable of accurately dispensing 0.4 ml • plate reader with one of the following filters: 540, 570, 600, 630nm • Dynatech flat bottom plate

Procedure

1. Pipette 0.4 ml of alamarBlue® into a test tube. 2. Dilute to 10 mls with phosphate buffer. 3. Mix well. 4. Pipette 100 µl into each well of a clear, flatbottom microblate (note: there will be

enough solution to fill 10 columns in the plate). 5. Read absorbance at appropriate wavelenths.

*Expected Results:

Wavelength (nm) Average Absorbance (Standard Deviation)

540 0.145 (0.002) 570 0.225 (0.003) 600 0.313 (0.004) 630 0.116 (0.002)

*Absorbance Values may be affected by the type of plate (whether round or flat bottom) and the plate manufacturer. The reduced form (red) of alamarBlue® is very unstable in water. For this reason, it is difficult to recommend a standard test for the reduced form. However, the reduced form is very stable in media. To determine the absorbance/fluorescence to be expected from the reduced form (red) for a particular experiment, it is suggested that 1X alamarBlue® be made up in the media intended for use in an autoclavable container. Reduce this preparation by autoclaving for 15 minutes. Remove from the autoclave and allow to cool to room temperature. Swirl the solution several times and pipette 100 µl into the wells of a flat bottom microtiter plate. Measure the absorbance at the proper wavelenths. Table 3 a-b presents the absorbance values for the oxidized and reduced forms of the indicator in several commonly used culture media. No QC protocol is recommended for fluorescence since fluorescence units are arbitrary and the scale used varies widely from one instrument to another. From table 3 a-b it should be apparent that the reduced form of alamarBlue® is highly fluorescent. When attempting to measure very small changes in reduction, fluorescence measurements will produce greater sensititvity.

of 27

Table 3a-b. Absorbance values for oxidized/reduced forms of alamarBlue® for commonly used culture media. Powdered media was obtained from Sigma and prepared according to their instructions. All media contained phenol red. The required amount of sodium bicarbonate was added to each media, and each was pH adjusted to 7.4 with 1N HCl or 1N NaOH. alamarBlue® was added to each media which was then split into 2 samples. One sample of each media was autoclaved for 15 minutes to produce the reduced form. The medias were dispensed into a flat bottom Dynatech plate (100 µl per well) and absorbance read at 540, 570, 600, 630nm on a Cambridge Technologies plate reader. Fluorescence measurements were made on a Cambridge Technologies, Inc. (Watertown, MA) Model 7620 Microplate fluorometer – settings were: bottom reading, light source setting 12, no max AFU, excitation: 530, emission: 560, gain/16. a. ABSORBANCE VALUES

Wavelength (nm) Powdered Sigma 540 570 600 630

Media Product # OX RED OX RED OX RED OX RED BME EBSS B9638 0.610 1.207 0.853 1.502 0.845 0.244 0.261 0.177 BME HBS B9763 0.468 1.087 0.705 1.403 0.817 0.154 0.254 0.097 McCoy’s 5A M4892 0.520 1.133 0.740 1.421 0.756 0.250 0.236 0.183 MEM EBSS M0268 0.582 1.186 0.819 1.483 0.820 0.235 0.252 0.168 MEM HBSS M4642 0.480 1.066 0.713 1.383 0.811 0.145 0.251 0.088 Nut Mix F-10 N6635 0.361 0.784 0.583 1.117 0.798 0.138 0.248 0.091 Nut Mix F-12 N6760 0.374 0.796 0.604 1.135 0.822 0.137 0.255 0.085 RPMI 1640 R6504 0.431 0.928 0.659 1.250 0.795 0.161 0.248 0.101 b. FLUORESCENCE VALUES

Powdered Sigma Fluorescence Units Media Product# Oxidized Reduced

BME EBSS B9638 1926 55676 BME HBS B9763 3840 60256 McCoy’s 5A M4892 2640 50545 MEM EBSS M0268 2377 54493 MEM HBSS M4642 4194 59202 Nut Mix F-10 N6635 2472 70092 Nut Mix F-12 N6760 5232 68132 RPMI 1640 R6504 6472 58796

of 27

General Procedure for Determining Length of Incubation Time and Plating Density for a Cell Line The two variables which most affect the response of cells to alamarBlue® are length of incubation time and number of cells plated. It is recommended that the plating density and incubation time be determined for each cell line using the following procedure:

1. Harvest cells which are in log phase growth stage and determine cell count. Plate cells at various densities, some dilutions being above and below the cell density expected to be used.

2. Aseptically add alamarBlue® in an amount equal to 10% of the culture volume.

3. Return cultures to incubator. Remove the plate and measure fluorescence/

absorbance each hour following plating for the first 6-8 hours. It is also recommended that the plate remain in incubation overnight and measurements made the following day at 24 hours. Two kinds of information can be obtained from this data: (1) for any given incubation time selected, the range in cell density can be determined for which there is a linear response relating cell numbers to alamarBlue® reduction, and (2) for any given cell density selected, the maximum incubation time can be determined in which the control cells turn the indicator from the oxidized (blue) form to the fully reduced (red) form.

4. Measure absorbance at a wavelength of 570nm and 600nm. Or, measure

fluorescence with excitation wavelength at 530-560nm and emission wavelength at 590 nm.

5. To generate the graph for (1), plot the log of cell density on the x-axis and reduction

of alamarBlue® from absorbance (using equation 5 to be discussed in calculations for absorbance) or fluorescence on the y-axis (Fig.2). To generate the graph for (2), plot the number of hours incubated on the x-axis and reduction of alamarBlue® on the y-axis (Fig. 3). A sample data set and the resulting graphs are presented below.

Sample Data Set

a549 cells/ml p388 cells/ml Time Blue in Media 500 1000 5000 10000 500 1000 5000 10000

t0 0.336 0.336 0.338 0.348 0.372 0.342 0.334 0.332 0.328 t2 0.334 0.339 0.352 0.432 0.540 0.340 0.333 0.335 0.335 t4 0.333 0.346 0.365 0.489 0.590 0.339 0.332 0.339 0.346 t5.5 0.321 0.344 0.366 0.511 0.573 0.331 0.325 0.335 0.344 t20 0.322 0.438 0.510 0.518 0.486 0.332 0.328 0.381 0.434 Absorbance values at 570nm after blanking with media only. a549 is a monolayer culture, p338 is a suspension cell line.

of 27

a549 cells/ml p388 cells/ml

Time Blue in Media 500 1000 5000 10000 500 1000 5000 10000 t0 0.441 0.439 0.443 0.459 0.496 0.451 0.438 0.433 0.422 t2 0.440 0.425 0.421 0.349 0.267 0.448 0.435 0.422 0.404 t4 0.432 0.411 0.397 0.265 0.162 0.444 0.432 0.414 0.391 t5.5 0.424 0.397 0.377 0.211 0.135 0.435 0.424 0.404 0.377 t20 0.412 0.271 0.180 0.102 0.112 0.423 0.415 0.337 0.253 Absorbance values at 600nm after blanking with media only. a549 is a monolayer culture, p338 is a suspension cell line. Using absorbance data from the sample data set, percent reduction of alamarBlue® was calculated using equation 5:

a549 cells/ml p388 cells/ml Time 500 1000 5000 10000 500 1000 5000 10000

t0 6.3 6.1 6.0 5.7 5.9 6.0 6.3 7.0 t2 8.6 11.5 35.4 65.7 5.9 6.3 8.3 10.6 t4 11.9 17.3 57.6 89.9 6.3 6.6 10.2 14.5 t5.5 13.6 20.4 70.0 91.8 6.1 6.4 10.9 16.2 t20 49.6 76.2 88.3 80.7 8.1 8.4 29.5 51.3 These values are plotted to produce figures 2-3. Fig. 2A. A549

0102030405060708090

100

1 10 100 1000 10000

Cell Density (cells/ml)

% R

EDU

CED 0 Hours

2 Hours4 Hours5.5 Hours20 Hours

0 500 1000 5000 10000

of 27

Fig. 2B. P388

0102030405060708090

100

1 10 100 1000 10000

Cell Density (cells/ml)

% R

EDU

CED 0 Hours

2 Hours4 Hours5.5 Hours20 Hours

0 500 1000 5000 10000

Fig. 3A. A549

0102030405060708090

100

0 1 2 3 4

HOURS

% R

EDU

CED

10000 Cells/ml5000 Cells/ml1000 Cells/ml500 Cells/ml

0 2 4 5.5 20

of 27

Fig. 3B. P388

0102030405060708090

100

0 1 2 3 4

HOURS

% R

EDU

CED

10000 Cells/ml5000 Cells/ml1000 Cells/ml500 Cells/ml

0 2 4 5.5 20

From fig. 2A, if, for example, the desired incubation time with alamarBlue® were 4 hours, any plating density from 500 to 10,000 cells/ml could be used and expected to produce a reaction within the linear range for alamarBlue® for that incubation period. However, if the intent is to incubate for 20 hours, the reaction could only be expected to be within the linear range if plated at 500-1000 cells/ml for this cell line. On the other hand, with P388, even with an initial plating density up to 10,000 cells per well, data is within range and alamarBlue® has only been reduced by 50% at that point. This indicates cells could be incubated with alamarBlue®, even when plated at this high density for up to 2 days. If a shortened exposure is desired, then the initial plating density should be increased. If the goal is to continue the experiment for more than 2 days, the initial plating density should be decreased. Similar information is gained from examination of fig. 3a-b.

Note With high cell numbers or extended incubation time (days), you will reach a point where the red form stops increasing and begins to decline. The absorbance/fluorescence level drops with a corresponding clearing of the red color. This is demonstrated in Fig. 3A when plated at 10,000 cells/ml and incubated for more than 4 hours. Microbial contaminants will also reduce alamarBlue® and will yield erroneous results if contaminated cultures are tested by this method. In-house studies indicated samples with protein concentrations equivalent to 10% fetal bovine serum did not interfere with the assay. However, Page et. al. (7) indicated serum may cause some quenching of fluorescence and recommended using the same serum concentration in controls to take this into account. Geogan et. al. (5) tested the effects of varying concentrations of fetal bovine serum (FBS), bovine serum albumin (BSA), and polyvinylpyrrolidone in the alamarBlue® assay. They found that increasing concentrations of FBS and BSA did affect the assay. However, they provide a method to test your test matrix for effects due to these

of 27

compounds and provide a straightforward method of calculation to correct for any such effects. This method can be applied to determine the effect of any additive in your test media matrix, including the test chemicals themselves. There is no interference from the presence of phenol red in the growth medium. The presence of phenol red merely shifts the values approximately 0.03 units higher (see table 4). Table 4. Effect of phenol red on absorbance values at 570 nm. Absorbance value for various levels reduction of alamarBlue® in RPMI 1640 w/MOPS with and without phenol red, pH 7.0. 100 µl per well, Dynatech flat bottom plate. % REDUCED Media Blue 10 30 60 90 Red RPMI 1640 0.032 0.47 0.52 0.61 0.73 0.85 0.88 RPMI 1640 w/ phenol red 0.061 0.53 0.54 0.64 0.76 0.88 0.91 Effect of Storage of Plates on Measurements Many investigators find that they may not be able to read plates on the day an experiment is performed. It is recommended that plates be refrigerated and read within 1 – 3 days. Plates can be wrapped in foil or plastic wrap to prevent evaporation. Table 5 presents absorbance data for the oxidized (blue) and reduced (red) forms of alamarBlue® for plates which were read on day 1, stored overnight refrigerated and read again on days 2 and 3. Data is presented for some different plate types and plate manufacturers to illustrate the effect these variable have on absorbance values obtained. Table 6 gives the fluorescence values for the same plate. If plates are stored refrigerated and fluorescence measurements are being used, keep in mind that fluorescence measurements are influenced by temperature (see Table 7). If measurements are normally taken at 37°C, then plates should be warmed to that temperature before reading. Table 5. Effect of Storage Plates on Absorbance 100 µl of RPMI 1640 w/MOPS 7.0 no phenol red. ABSORBANCE

BLUE (Oxidized) RED (Reduced) 540nm 570nm 600nm 630nm 540nm 570nm 600nm 630nm Dynatech Day 1

(.003) (.005) (.007) (.003) (.020) (.027) (.002) (0.0)

Flat Bottom .298 .496 .708 .236 .693 1.017 .126 .075 Day 2

(.003) (.004) (.006) (.002) (.020) (.027) (.008) (.009)

.294 .484 .692 .227 .697 1.018 .164 .118 Day 3

(.003) (.006) (.008) (.003) (.010) (.024) (.008) (.009)

.296 .486 .691 .231 .734 1.038 .199 .149

of 27

General Discussion of Calculations when Using Absorbance It is clear from Fig. 1b that there is considerable overlap in the absorption spectra of the oxidized and reduced forms of alamarBlue®. When there is no region in which just one component absorbs, it is still possible to determine the two substances by making measurements of two wavelengths (8). The two components must have different powers of light absorption at some points in the spectrum. Since absorbance is directly proportional to the product of the molar extinction coefficient and concentration, a pair of simultaneous equations may be obtained from which the two unknown concentrations may be determined:

1. CRED(εRED)λ1 + COX (εOX)λ1 = Aλ1

2. CRED(εRED)λ2 + COX (εOX)λ2 = Aλ2

To solve for the concentration of each component: 3. CRED = (εOX)λ2 Aλ1 - (εOX) Aλ1 Aλ2 (εRED)λ1(εOX)λ2 - (εOX)λ1(εRED)λ2 4. COX = (εRED)λ1 Aλ2 - (εRED)λ2 Aλ1 (εRED)λ1(εOX)λ2 - (εOX)λ1(εRED)λ2

To determine the percent reduction of alamarBlue®: % Reduced = CRED Test Well

COX Negative Control Well 5. = (εOX)λ2 Aλ1 - (εOX) λ1 Aλ2 (εRED)λ1 A’λ2 - (εRED)λ2 A’λ1

To calculate the percent difference in reduction between treated and control cells in cytotoxicity/proliferation assays: 6. (εOX)λ2 Aλ1 - (εOX)λ1 Aλ2 of test agent dilution (εOX)λ2 A°λ1 - (εOX)λ1 A°λ2 of untreated positive growth control Where CRED = concentration of reduced form alamarBlue® (RED) COX = oxidized form of alamarBlue® (BLUE) εOX = molar extinction coefficient of alamarBlue oxidized form (BLUE) εRED = molar extinction coefficient of alamarBlue reduced form (RED) A = absorbance of test wells A’ = absorbance of negative control well. The negative control well should contain

media + alamarBlue but no cells. A° = absorbance of positive growth control well λ1 = 570nm (540nm may also be used) λ2 = 600nm (630 may also be used)

x 100

x 100

of 27

The key equations to use are (5) and (6), equation 5 for calculating the percent reduction from the blue oxidized form and equation 6 for calculating percent difference between treated and control cells in cytotoxicity/proliferation experiments. Equations 1-4 are included only for completeness of the discussion. Blanking of the plate reader should be done with a well containing media only. Table 3 contains the necessary values for solving the equations stated above. Table 4 lists typical absorbance values for different percent reduction of alamarBlue®. TABLE 3. Molar Extinction Coefficients for alamarBlue®.

Wavelength (λ) εRED εOX 540nm 104,395 47,619 570nm 155,677 80,586 600nm 14,652 117,216 630nm 5,494 34,798 TABLE 4. Typical Absorbance Values for Microplate Reader. Test wells contain 100 µl RPMI 1640 w/MOPS with no phenol red at pH 7.0 with alamarBlue®, containing the reduced form present in known amounts. Wavelength (nm) % Reduced alamarBlue® 540 570 600 630 0 Fully Oxidized (Blue) 0.29 0.47 0.67 0.22 10 0.32 0.52 0.62 0.21 20 0.35 0.56 0.57 0.19 30 0.38 0.61 0.50 0.18 40 0.41 0.64 0.45 0.16 50 0.45 0.69 0.39 0.14 60 0.48 0.73 0.33 0.13 70 0.51 0.77 0.28 0.11 80 0.54 0.81 0.23 0.10 90 0.57 0.85 0.16 0.08 100 Fully Reduced (Red) 0.60 0.88 0.10 0.06 Media 0.03 0.03 0.03 0.03

of 27

Example Calculation 1: λ1 = 570, λ2 = 600 (εOX)λ2 = 117,216 (εOX)λ1 = 80,586 (εRED)λ1 = 155,677 (εRED)λ2 = 14,652 Aλ1 = 0.61 Observed absorbance reading for test well Aλ2 = 0.42 Observed absorbance reading for test well A’λ2 = 0.64 Observed absorbance reading for negative control well A’λ1 = 0.44 Observed absorbance reading for negative control well To calculate percent reduced using equation 5: Percent reduced (εOX)λ2Aλ1 - (εOX)λ1Aλ2 (εRED)λ1A’λ2 - (εRED)λ2A’λ1 (117,216)(.61) – (80,586)(.42)

(155,677)(.64) – (14,652)(.44) 71,502 – 33,846

99,633 – 6,447 37,656

93,186

= x 100

= x 100

=

= = 0.404 x 100 = 40%

of 27

Example Calculation 2: λ1 = 570, λ2 = 600 (εOX)λ2 = 117,216 (εOX)λ1 = 80,586 (εRED)λ1 = 155,677 (εRED)λ2 = 14,652 Aλ1 = 0.65 Observed absorbance reading for test well Aλ2 = 0.36 Observed absorbance reading for test well A°λ1 = 0.78 Observed absorbance reading for positive control well A°λ2 = 0.19 Observed absorbance reading for positive control well To calculate the percent difference in reduction between treated and control cells in cytotoxicity/proliferation assays using equation 6: Percent difference in reduction (εOX)λ2Aλ1 - (εOX)λ1Aλ2 of test agent dilution

(εOX)λ2A°λ1 - (εOX)λ1A°λ2 of untreated positive growth control (117,216)(.65) – (80,586)(.36)

(117,216)(.78) – (80,586)(.19) 76,190 – 29,011 91,428 – 15,311 47,179 76,117 This would indicate that the amount of reduction in the test well is only 62% of that in the control well, or put another way, that growth in the test well is inhibited by 38% when compared to that of the control.

= x 100

= x 100

=

=

x 100

x 100 = 62%

of 27

Simplified Method to Correct for Overlap of Oxidized/Reduced Forms of alamarBlue® to Determine Amount of alamarBlue® with other Filters In the first version of this package insert, the suggested calculation for determining the amount of reduced alamarBlue® was simply Absorbance570 – Absorbance600. This works well when most of the test wells are fully reacted, i.e. fully oxidized (blue) or fully reduced (red). In this situation, there is no correction needed for the shoulder of the oxidized substrate at 570 (Fig. 1b), because in fully reduced wells there is no oxidized substrate present. Apparently this was not the situation for many alamarBlue® users, and the need for a correction for the contribution of the oxidized substrate present at 570nm was pointed out (4). Thus, the second revision of this package insert derived the molar extinction coefficients and a method for calculating the amount of reduced alamarBlue® for the most commonly encountered standard filters found in plate readers. Since the release of this revision, it has become apparent from our users that not enough filters were considered. Many times users have requested a method to determine coefficients for their particular filters, for example, using a 565nm filter with a 610nm filter. Deriving molar extinction coefficients is a very tedious method subject to numerous possibilities for introducing error. Known amounts of reduced and non-reduced alamarBlue® must be prepared in a series of ratios of reduced/oxidized forms and absorbance measurements made for the wavelengths to be tested. These steps are subject to dilution errors as well as errors which may be caused by not having the reduced form 100% reduced. From the personal communication of Dr. Geier (4) and in independently derived calculations by Goegan et. al. (5) a very simple and accurate method for deriving the amount of reduced alamarBlue® present is given. This simple calculation can be used for any filter combination. The method is as follows: 1. Make up alamarBlue® as directed in the package insert (1 to 10 dilution in 100 µl media). 2. Measure the absorbance at the lower wavelength filter and at the higher wavelength filter. 3. Measure the absorbance of 100 µl media only at the wavelengths in Step 2. 4. Subtract the absorbance values of media only (Step 3) from the absorbance values of

alamarBlue® in media (Step 2). This gives the absorbance of alamarBlue® in media – absorbance of media only. Call this AOLW = absorbance of oxidized form at lower wavelength, and AOHW = absorbance of oxidized form at higher wavelength.

5. Calculate correction factor: RO. RO = AOLW/ AOHW. 6. To calculate the percent of reduced alamarBlue®: ARLW = ALW – (AHW x RO) x 100 This replaces equation 5 (page 14).

The replacement for equation 6 (page 14) to calculate the percent difference between treated and control cells in cytotoxicity/proliferation assays then becomes: Percent difference ALW – (AHW x RO) for test well in reduction ALW - (AHW x RO) positive growth control

= x 100

of 27

An example of these calculations when the filters are 570nm and 600nm is given below (4):

Sample Abs 570 Abs 600 10% alamarBlue® in 100 µl medi 0.728 0.969 100 µl media 0.082 0.037 Abs 10% AB in media - Abs. media only 0.646 0.932 RO = AO570/AO600 AO570 = absorbance of oxidized form at 570nm. RO = 0.646/0.932 = 0.693 AO600 = absorbance of oxidized form at 600nm. This same correction factor was independently derived by Geogan et. al. (5), in their equations. 7 and 1. To calculate amount reduced alamarBlue®: AR570 = A570 – (A600 X RO) where A570 and A600 are sample absorbances minus the media blank. Example Assay:

Time Point

Abs 570 Test Well

Abs 600 Test Well

Abs 570 – Abs 600 X100

Abs 570 – (Abs 600)(0.693) x100

(fully oxidized) 0 0.65 0.93 - 28 0 1 0.72 0.70 2 23 2 0.79 0.47 32 46 3 0.86 0.23 63 70 (fully reduced) 4 0.93 0.00 93 93 These data points are plotted below:

-40

-20

0

20

40

60

80

100

0 1 2 3 4

HOURS

% R

EDU

CED (OD 570 - OD 600) x 100

(Uncorrected)OD 570 - (OD 600 x 0.693) x 100(Corrected)

As can be noted from the graph there was a difference between the corrected and uncorrected reduced absorbance. It should also be noted that lack of correction leads to negative absorbances. This may account for the unexplained negative absorbances calculated by some users.

of 27

For users with different filter pairs the only change will be in RO whose calculation is explained in the above method and, of course, taking the absorbance measurements of the test samples with those filters. alamarBlue® Reduction Curves Examples of reduction curves are included to demonstrate the usefulness of the alamarBlue® assay for measuring cell proliferation. (Figure 4)

0500

1000150020002500300035004000450050005500

100 10000

INITIAL CELL DENSITY

FLU

OR

ESC

ENC

E

HT29

HT1080

DU145

A549

156 312 625 1250 2500 5000

Figure 4. Detection of Cell Growth of Four Cell Lines Using alamarBlue® alamarBlue® is especially well suited for kinetic studies that involve monitoring cell growth for extended exposure periods. The stability of alamarBlue® allows the investigator to add the indicator at the beginning of the experiment and continue to follow reduction by the cells for several days. (Figure 5)

of 27

010002000300040005000600070008000

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

DAYS IN CULTURE

FLU

OR

ESC

ENC

E Blank156 Cells/well312 Cells/well625 Cells/well1250 Cells/well2500 Cells/well

Figure 5. Continuous Incubation of Cell Line A549 with alamarBlue®

Example Procedure of Cytotoxicity Assay

Preparation of Cells for Testing 1. Harvest an appropriate cell line by trypsinization and subsequent trypsin inhibitor

treatment.

2. Centrifuge cells, re-suspend in growth medium and count.

3. Calculate the total cell number and adjust to 1 x 104 cell/ml. This is a suggested cell density which has worked in our studies with cancer cell lines. Refer to the article by Alley et. al. (2) for suggestions on plating densities and growth medium when working with cancer cell lines and chemotherapeutic agents.

4. Add 250µl of cell suspension to each well. Incubate at 37°C in 5% CO2 atmosphere for

the number of days required for the particular cell line to be in log phase (usually 3 days). Exposing Cells to Test Agents

1. Prepare appropriate dilutions of test agent in growth media.

2. Aspirate spent growth medium from the wells and add 250µl of each dilution of test agent to the wells.

3. Cover, then return to the incubator for 2 days.

4. After incubation, add 25µl of the indicator to each well. Incubate panels for an additional

3 hours. Panels may then be read spectrophotometrically (absorbance at 570nm and 600nm) or spectrofluorometrically (excitation, 530-560nm; emission, 590nm).

of 27

Data Analysis

Fluoresence: 1. Calculate percent of untreated control with the following formula: FI 590 of test agent dilution x100 FI 590 of untreated control

2. Use semi-log graph paper and plot the percent of untreated control for each dilution of a

given test agent on the y-axis versus the concentration of the test agent on the x-axis. 3. Determine the LD50 endpoint from the graph by reading from where the 50 percent point

intercepts the Dose Response Curve to the concentration along the x-axis. That concentration is the LD50 value. (Figure 6)

Absorbance: 1. Calculate percent of untreated control with the following formula:

(εOX)λ2Aλ1 - (εOX)λ1Aλ2 of test agent dilution

(εOX)λ2A°λ1 - (εOX)λ1A°λ2 of untreated positive growth control or ALW – (AHW x RO) test well

ALW – (AHW x RO) positive growth control

2. Use semi-log graph paper and plot the percent of untreated control for each dilution of a given test agent on the y-axis versus the concentration of test agent on the x-axis.

3. Determine the LD50 endpoint from the graph by reading from where the 50 percent point

intercepts the Dose Response Curve to the concentration along the x-axis. That concentration is the LD50 value. (Figure 6)

x 100

x 100

of 27

0

25

50

75

100

-10 -9 -8 -7 -6

LOG [DRUG] (M)

% G

RO

WTH

CO

NTR

OL

Figure 6. Determination of Doxorubicin LD50 Using alamarBlue®

Applications Current users of MTT, XTT or neutral red uptake in proliferation/cytotoxicity assays can substitute alamarBlue® for each of these tests (3,7). This substitution can be done at the time point when you would normally add MTT, XTT or neutral red. Figures 7 – 9 are examples from comparison tests with each of these methods that have been conducted at Alamar Biosciences, Inc. alamarBlue® has also been shown to be a rapid and simple non-radioactive assay alternative to the [3H] thymidine incorporation assay (1).

LD50

of 27

0

25

50

75

100

-9 -8 -7 -6 -5 -4 -3 -2

LOG [DRUG] (M)

% G

RO

WTH

CO

NTR

OL

5 FU alamarBlue®5 FU MTTDox alamarBlue®Dox MTT

Cell line: MDA Cell density: 1250 cells/well, 5 day exposure to 5-Fluorouracil, or Doxorubicin, 4 hour incubation with alamarBlue® or MTT.

Figure 7. Comparison of LD50 Using alamarBlue® and MTT

of 27

0

25

50

75

100

-10 -8 -6 -4

LOG [DRUG] (M)

% G

RO

WTH

CO

NTR

OL

5 FU alamarBlue®5 FU XTT

Cell line: P388Cell density: 1250 cells/well, 5 day exposure to 5-Fluorouracil, 4 hour incubation with alamarBlueor XTT (+menadione).

Figure 8. Comparison of LD50 Using alamarBlue and XTT LD50 for alamarBlue® derived from fluorescence measurements.

0

25

50

75

100

0 1 2 3

LOG CONC (mcg/ml)

% G

RO

WTH

CO

NTR

OL

ZnCl2-alamarBlue®ZnCl2-Neutral RedMnCl2-alamarBlue®MnCl2-Neutral Red

Cell density: 1250 cells/well, 5 day exposure to ZnCl2, MnCl2, 4 hour incubation with alamarBlueor Neutral Red.

Figure 9. Comparison of LD50 Using alamarBlue® and Neutral Red for Abrasives Applied to Human Epidermal Keratinocytes LD50 for alamarBlue is derived from fluorescence measurements.

References

1. Ahmed, S.A., Gogal Jr., R.M. and Walsh, J.E. 1994. A new Rapid and Simple Non-Radioactive assay to Monitor and Determine the proliferation of Lymphocytes: An Alternative to H3-thymidine incorporation assay. Journal of lmmunological Methods 170:211-224.

2. Alley, M.C., et al. 1988. Feasibility of Drug Screening with Panels of Human Tumor Cell Lines Using a Microculture Tetrazolium Assay. Cancer Research 48: 589-601.

3. Fields, R.D., and Lancaster, M.V. 1993. Dual attribute continuous monitoring of cell proliferationlcytotoxicity. American Biotechnology Laboratory: 11 (4) 48-50.

4. Geier, Steven, Ph. D. 1994. Personal Communication: Analysis of alamarBlue Overlap: Contribution of Oxidized (ABOlOD6OOnm) to Reduced (ABRlOD570) OD.

5. Goegan, P., Johnson, G. and Vincent, R. 1995. Effects of Serum Protein and Colloid on the alamarBlue Assay in Cell Cultures. Toxic InVitro: 9(3): 257-266.

6. Lancaster, M.V. and Fields, R.D. 1996. Antibiotic and Cytotoxic Drug Susceptibility Assays using Resazurin and Poising Agents. U.S. Patent No. 5,501,959.

7. Page, B., Page, M., and Noel, C. 1993. A New Fluorometric Assay for Cytotoxicity Measurements InVitro. Int. J. of Oncology 3: 473-476.

8. William, H.H., Merritt, Jr. L.L., and Dean, J.A. 1965. Ultraviolet and Visible Absorption Methods, p. 94-95, in: Instrumental Methods of Analvsis, D. Van Nostrand Co. Inc., Princeton, N.J.

This reference list includes only those references required for citation in the package insert. For a complete list of references with abstracts, please call our Technical Service Department at 800-955-6288 or email: [email protected]

of 27

www.invitrogen.comInvitrogen Corporation 1600 Faraday Avenue Carlsbad - CA 92008 Tel: 800.955.6288 E-mail: [email protected] Manufactured for Invitrogen by TREK Diagnostic Systems. Patent No. 5,501,959 For Research Use Only. Not for use in diagnostic procedures. Ordering Information

To place an order or for more information, please call 800-955-6288. alamarBlue can be ordered in the following sizes: Product Number Description DAL1010 alamarBlue (1X) 10 ml bottle DAL1025 alamarBlue (1X) 25 ml bottle DAL1100 alamarBlue (1X) 100 ml bottle

PI-DAL1025/1100Rev 1.0 of 27

alamarblue ti read only -...

Documents